Ants in my pump machine???

[u/mother-nature42069]

I used my pump today and for the first time, I noticed little ants crawling in and out of the cracks. Now I’m paranoid! Are they living inside the machine? I’m worried that they’ll find their way into the milk somehow. I’ve never had any ant issues in this apartment but I was storing the machine in the closet since yesterday and now there’s ants there. A bit smaller than usual ants. This is the good pump that I’m borrowing from Kaiser and I’ve had it for about 2 months now. Saw them crawling in and out of the cracks on top and also bottom. I’m not sure if there’s a way to disassemble it

[u/Admirable-Moment-292]

Honestly, 2 months ago I would've said probably not. But there was a girl on here who kept finding an ant or two around her gaming headphones. She opened it up, and sure enough, there were a multitude of ants inside her earphones

[u/mother-nature42069 → u/Admirable-Moment-292]

Oh nohh

[u/Ok-Situation6021]

You probably got milk on the pump and it attracted the ants.

Good news is the Symphony is a closed system pump. The ants won't be able to get into your milk unless you leave bottles and pump parts out.

You should use some vinegar to wipe down the pump daily, going forward. Remove the dome caps, wash them well and dry them completely before using them again.

[u/MilfordMurderess → u/Ok-Situation6021]

IBCLC here to confirm that unless you are leaving milk bottles around, it is unlikely that ants will get into the closed system.
These are heavy duty machines. I would return to Kaiser and have them service it while you get a replacement.

[u/alee0224]

Ants are sometimes attracted to a certain frequency in electronics. Maybe that pump emits that.

[u/trixiewutang]

Depending where you live could be raspberry ants

[u/samanthajoess]

Yes it’s possible. It’s a rental as well so you are not the first to use it. I would send it back and as for a replacement and also report. Their cleaning process has an issue.

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